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Synopsis

For the first time ever, the complete series of the landmark drama Hill Street Blues has arrived on DVD. Created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll and originally broadcast on NBC from 1981 to 1987, these 144 episodes represent compelling and groundbreaking television at its finest.

"Let's be careful out there," advises Sgt. Esterhaus every morning at roll call. And as the officers and detectives at the Hill Street Station patrol their city's streets, they must indeed maintain a careful balance between serving their citizens and inciting hostility from criminal elements. Yet as dangerous as their precinct is, the men and women of Hill Street often find that their biggest battles involve protecting themselves from the Public Defender's office, self-serving bureaucrats — and each other.

An incredible ensemble cast (including Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamel, Bruce Weitz, Dennis Franz and Betty Thomas) and sharp, layered writing helped make Hill Street Blues the most acclaimed and influential series of its day. The winner of 26 Emmy Awards (including four for Outstanding Drama Series) and a mainstay on any roll call of the greatest television shows of all time, Hill Street Blues: The Complete Series is unquestionably a must-have for any fan of engrossing and classic television.

Why We Love It

“Hill Street Blues transcends its era to remain tremendous TV… Watching the entire series on DVD, available in this form for the first time, it’s amazing just how easy it is to get lost all over again in the world of the Hill, all of the ways that the show invites viewers to consider its universe of complexity and class struggle, complication, and compassion… It’s in the cast of incredible characters that the show continues to resonate to this day.” – Todd VanDerWerff, The AV Club

“Hill Street Blues helped define how sophisticated TV drama could be, telling fast-paced, blackly comic stories about jaded lawmen and vicious criminals while exploring what broadcast censors and FCC would allow….And creator Steven Bochco’s decision to tell open-ended stories, rare for prime-time dramas at the time, established the model that quality TV still follows. Shout! Factory’s Hill Street Blues: The Complete Series box set is a must for TV fans… ” – Chicago Red Eye

“Whether through shared actors, writers, directors or through stylistic and thematic complexity, its DNA can be found in nearly every great drama produced in the 30-plus years since it debuted….the complete series DVD set makes an airtight case for the show's place in television history, as well as for its role as a grand piece of entertainment. The show itself is that good, even all these decades later, and its groundbreaking elements still stand out as ideas that remain vital in so many of the great dramas we have today.” – Alan Sepinwall, HITFIX

“Hill Street Blues was truly a groundbreaking show. Running from 1981 to 1987, it influenced the face of television and was arguably the show that blazed the trail for the Second Golden age of Television. With smart scripts, complex plots, and adult themes, Hill Street was one of the very first night time dramas to give the audience credit for having some intelligence and showed the world in shades of grey rather than black and white….Shows like The Sopranos, TheWire, and BreakingBad owe a debt to HillStreetBlues. This was the show that started the trend towards more mature dramas on TV and it still plays well today. This is one of the very best TV dramas from the last century and it's great to have it all in one great set. If you enjoy engrossing, smart TV this is the set for you. It comes very Highly Recommended.” – John Sinnott, DVD Talk

Trailer

Bonus Features

The History Of Hill Street – Steven Bochco And Others Talk About The Creation Of The Show